French Conversation · Level 12
90 words
French word
incurable
Pronunciation
IPA/ɛ̃kyʁabl/
Meaning
- adjectiveincurable
Example
La maladie est incurable.
The disease is incurable.
More examples
Son problème financier paraît incurable.
His financial problem seems incurable.
Core concept
An illness or defect that treatment cannot reverse, sometimes extended to an unchangeable situation.
Common phrases
problème incurable
incurable problem
maladie incurable
incurable disease
Similar words
irréversible: Involving a change or injury that cannot be reversed.
irrémédiable: Beyond medical help or any effective remedy.
chronique: Continuing or recurring over a long period.
Definition in French
Qui ne peut pas être guéri; terme d'abord médical, parfois employé au sens figuré pour quelque chose d'irréversible.
Word origin
Incurable is a learned French continuation of Latin incurabilis, whose parts are in- 'not' and curabilis 'curable'; Old French transmitted it into French.
Usage tips
- The medical sense is neutral, while the figurative sense can be blunt, so a less forceful context may call something difficile à guérir.
Opposites
- guérissablecurableadjective